OPEN LETTER
To
President of the Republic of Angola,
João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço
CC:
President Adalberto Costa Júnior
Ministro da Justiça e dos Direitos Humanos, Marcy Lopes
Governador da província de Luanda, Manuel Gomes da Conceição Homem
Ministro do Interior, Eugénio César Laborinho
Luanda: June 24, 2024
Assunto: Compulsory and illegal detention of peaceful demonstrators in Angola
Your Excellency, Mr. President,
It is with great concern that Friends of Angola (FoA) has once again learned of the impediment to a peaceful march on June 22, 2024, which aimed to protest against the “impoverishment of Angolans, national insecurity” and for the “freedom of political prisoners”, as well as against the possibility of a “third term” for President João Lourenço in the Republic of Angola,” according to an article published by Voice da America.
According to the same article, “the Angolan police dispersed and arrested around sixteen demonstrators this Saturday, June 22, in Luanda. And eleven demonstrators were released without charge on June 23.
These systematic violations of the rights to freedom of assembly and demonstration have been growing in Angola, particularly during your second term in office, and are undoubtedly a violation of the Angolan constitution and international human rights standards.
Angola is a state party to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), which protect the right to life, freedom of assembly and freedom of association (in articles 2, 20, 22 and 10, respectively). These rights are also protected by the Angolan Constitution.
Mr. President, during your speech at the inauguration ceremony as President of the Republic in 2017, you said the following; “we also intend to deepen the democratic rule of law, strengthening institutions and promoting the full exercise of citizenship, with more incisive action by civil society… it is therefore our responsibility to build a prosperous and democratic Angola, with peace and social justice.”
Contrary to Mr. President’s promises, Angola has been experiencing a decline in democratic values, limiting Angolans from exercising their constitutional and universal rights, in particular the rights to freedom of assembly, demonstration and speech.
We would like to remind you once again, Mr. President, that article 333 of the new Angolan penal code, which condemns “offenses” against the figure of the President of the Republic and other sovereign bodies, not only poses an obstacle to freedom of speech, but is also a classic example that Angola has been experiencing a significant decline in democratic values in recent years.
On September 16, 2023, in full use of their constitutional prerogatives, the following young people and activists Adolfo Miguel Campos André, Gilson da Silva Moreira, Hermenegildo José Victor André, and Abraão Pedro dos Santos, were the target of violence, compulsory and illegal detention, near the Santa Ana cemetery, when in solidarity with the motorcycle taxi drivers’ demand and in response to their public call, they presented themselves at the place marked for the concentration of what would be a peaceful demonstration. They were inicially charged of outraging and insulting the President of the Republic (article 333), then they were indicted and charged (for two years and five months) with the crime of Disobedience under Article 340(1) and the crime of Resistance against an official under Article 342(1) of the Angolan Penal Code, a different crime from the one that led to their arrest and trial.
Thus, FoA demands that the Angolan authorities open an investigation with the aim of ascertaining the veracity of the facts and bringing to justice those responsible for the systematic violations of the Angolan constitution, as this constitutes a clear violation of universally recognized human rights, such as the right to freedom of expression, assembly and thought.
We also hope that the you will embrace democratic values, respecting the freedom of assembly and expression of Angolan citizens so that we can finally build a prosperous and democratic country, with peace and social justice for all.
Sincerely,
Florindo Chivucute
Executive Director
Friends of Angola